Lee Dorsey was a key figure in New Orleans R&B in the 1960s, best known for his collaborations with Allen Toussaint, his use of the Meters as his backing band, and a series of high-charting and oft-covered hits. Born on December 24, 1924, Dorsey was a boxer before retiring from the fight game in his early thirties. He opened an auto body shop back home in New Orleans and performed at night for kicks. Dorsey released a handful of unsuccessful singles until he teamed up with Toussaint in the early ‘60s and released the million-selling, Number 1 R&B single “Ya Ya” in 1961. The song was a favorite of the early incarnation of the Beatles, and was a staple of their Hamburg setlist.
Subsequent singles weren’t as successful, and Dorsey went back to his day job for a few years until he and Toussaint linked up again in 1965 for “Ride Your Pony”, which put Dorsey back on the charts. This success -- as well as the addition of the excellent backing band the Meters -- gave him the momentum for a strong second half of the ‘60s, which included “Get Out of My Life, Woman”, “Holy Cow”, and his defining hit, 1966’s “Working in a Coal Mine”.
1970 saw Dorsey’s last significant hit, “Yes We Can”, but he stayed busy on the road, where he was booked on tours alongside the Clash, Jerry Lee Lewis, and James Brown. His songs continued to resonate: Devo made the charts with their cover of “Working in a Coal Mine” in 1981, and the Judds also put their spin on the tune. “Ya Ya” was covered by John Lennon on his album Rock ‘n’ Roll, and Ike & Tina Turner’s version is included on many of their anthologies. Dorsey died in his hometown on December 1, 1986.
